Vitamins: What are they and what do they do?

Vitamins: What are they and what do they do?

Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in small quantities to sustain life. Most vitamins need to come from food.

Here are the different types of vitamins

Vitamin A

Chemical names: Retinol, retinal, and four carotenoids, including beta carotene.

It is fat soluble.
Deficiency may cause night-blindness and keratomalacia, an eye disorder that results in a dry cornea.
Good sources include: Liver, cod liver oil, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, collard greens, some cheeses, egg, apricot, cantaloupe melon, and milk.

Vitamin B
Chemical name: thiamine.

It is water soluble.
Deficiency may cause beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
Good sources include: yeast, pork, cereal grains, sunflower seeds, brown rice, whole-grain rye, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges, liver, and eggs.

Vitamin C

Chemical name: Ascorbic acid

It is water soluble.
Deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia.
Good sources include: fruit and vegetables. The Kakadu plum and the camu camu fruit have the highest vitamin C contents of all foods. Liver also has high levels. Cooking destroys vitamin C

Vitamin D

Chemical names: Ergocalciferol, cholecalciferol.

It is fat soluble.
Deficiency may cause rickets and osteomalacia, or softening of the bones.
Good sources: Exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) through sunlight or other sources causes vitamin D to be produced in the skin. Also found in fatty fish, eggs, beef liver, and mushrooms.

Vitamin E

Chemical names: Tocopherols, tocotrienols

It is fat soluble.
Deficiency is uncommon, but it may cause hemolytic anemia in newborns. This is a condition where blood cells are destroyed and removed from the blood too early.
Good sources include: Kiwi fruit, almonds, avocado, eggs, milk, nuts, leafy green vegetables, unheated vegetable oils, wheat germ, and whole-grains.

Vitamin K

Chemical names: Phylloquinone, menaquinones

It is fat soluble.
Deficiency may cause bleeding diathesis, an unusual susceptibility to bleeding.
Good sources include: leafy green vegetables, avocado, kiwi fruit. Parsley contains a lot of vitamin K.

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